The Innocent
by lanierae
Summary: Bella Swan is a defense attorney that took a client no one else was willing to defend. The problem is her client continues to insist he's guilty. Is there more to the accused than meets the eye? And what happens when, despite herself, she gets too close?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight at all. It belongs completely to Stephenie Meyer, and I am finally willing to admit that. ;D

A/N: Haha, well. I'm not exactly sure where the inspiration for this story came from, but I'm willing to admit it's probably not been done before, so I'm guessing that's a good thing, right? In the end, though, I really do love this idea and this story. I'd love to get your opinions -- nay or yay? I really do love feedback, and since I'm not too sure on this myself, it'd be great to get another point of view. Is it worth continuing?

Obviously, you should read and see for yourself. :) Drop me a review at the end, please!

* * *

I knew, to some extent, that I must be crazy. I knew, to some extent, that this case was going to be near impossible to crack, if there was even more than the obvious. I even knew, to some extent, that my client may very well be guilty. I had taken plenty of cases just as this one, however, and I also knew, to full extent, that I had to do what I could. In the end, it all bubbled down to a single point of reason, and that was the point I was listening to now as I made my way toward the room I would converse with my newest client.

I am a defense lawyer. My job is to protect innocents from being wrongly punished for crimes they have not committed, and it is also to find the truth in a situation that might once seem to be one sided. While I do not always gain win my cases – nor do I want to, if the man or woman I have defended is truly guilty – I always do what I can. If someone is innocent, they deserve the chance for such to be proven. If someone is innocent, I believe the truth comes out, eventually. It all comes to a single point.

In the end, my client can be guilty. They might have committed the crime that they have been accused of, and I have come to accept that. While I can't get a not guilty verdict for everyone who hires me – and again, nor do I want to – I will always do my best to prove that they have not done the deed. In the end, I believe in each and every single client that I work for. In the end, I truly wish to believe that they are innocents.

We as humans are often in the wrong place at the wrong time, it is just a simple fact. We do things that we are not sure of, and sometimes even the truth to us can be blurred by the lies of others. I do believe that everyone deserves a chance to be listened to, and everyone deserves a second chance. Bad decisions can be made, but in the end, it all comes to a single point.

I, Bella Swan, have learned this through personal experience. I, Bella Swan, have done my best to do what I can with the clients I have taken. I, Bella Swan, also went into this case knowing that there was a very, very good chance I would lose. Hell, part of me had counted on it.

Edward Cullen was a very well known man, and not for good reasons at all. Over the years he had become a well known criminal, but never had there been enough evidence against him to prove this. Over and over he had been accused and then let go, and so, this case was considered a matter of pride for the police. If he was finally proven guilty, it would seem like a personal gain for them, a one up, like this man's life was someone else's game. It truly disgusted me.

When he had asked me to defend him in court, I had gotten the feeling that he already knew I was going to refuse. After all, every other lawyer in the area – and beyond that, to be honest – would. I think most of them had, because I wasn't stupid enough to think I was his first choice, though I certainly couldn't be his last (maybe that was just my small ego speaking, though). The case seemed impossible, the evidence conclusive, the single witness making the entire situation air tight.

When I spoke to him, though, his voice was the thing that caught my attention. He could only speak for a moment or two, but there was just something in the way he spoke. His voice had this velvet tint in it, husky somehow, deep. He sounded honest. He sounded like a beaten man who hadn't gotten a break in life, even though I knew this was just me overanalyzing. I tended to over-think things, more often than not. I believe, even though I knew it was insane to, that he had not committed the crime had been accused of. I believed that, though he was rough around the edges and certainly not an innocent person, he deserved his second chance.

If he got his not guilty verdict, however, it would not be that simple. I was determined, somehow, to help him. I didn't know why this case spoke to me, but all of it just led up to this single inkling of hope I had. I always wanted to believe that these accused did not do what they were being charged for, paint me naïve. I could tell when a man or woman was honest when they told me they had not done it … but all of my clients, of course, claimed they hadn't. I wasn't right all of the time, and I couldn't be. However, today I would find if my client had truly committed the crime against him.

If he had and I knew it, I would still defend him. I would do what I could, but I believe in the end the truth will come out. I will work with the evidence and the testimony that I have, but I do believe that it will be difficult if he is guilty. If he is guilty, eventually it will come out. That is how I worked. I will do whatever I can in my ability to give him his second chance – if he truly deserves it, my belief is that he will get it.

"I'm here to see Edward Cullen," I murmured as I made my way into the small room we would be meeting, however heavily guarded. The man I stood in front of simply nodding, giving me the look I had seen multiple times this week. He looked at me as if I was off my rocker, losing my mind, and to an extent I did not disagree that I was a bit insane. That, I mused, or simply much too innocent for my own good. Too trusting, my friend had once told me. I suppose that was just part of who I was.

"Edward Cullen." I smiled at him as I made my way into the room and took a seat across from him, a very wide amount of space between us. When he looked up to meet my gaze, though, I had to fight the urge to gasp. This man did not look anything like I had expected, even though I was sure I had seen a picture or two in a paper, on television.

This man did not look like a criminal, not in the slightest, though I had worked in the law long enough to know that looks were very often deceiving. His eyes were this beautiful, deep green color, like emeralds that had been cut to perfection. His eyes were framed with these thick lashes, his cheekbones high, his jaw strong. His face was proud, though his spirit looked beaten. Though I wished it wasn't, my first thought was that he was beautiful. How he managed to gain the reputation and the life he now had was beyond me, but his voice – the honest, velvet sounding voice I had heard on the phone – interrupted my current, inane train of thought.

"Miss Swan," he returned curtly, a bit condescendingly, a smirk curling its way onto his lips as he leaned back in his chair. He was the picture of ease there, but for some reason, I had a feeling he was anything but on the inside. Just like every other client I had – but this one, for some reason, in particular – I wanted to know what made him tick. I longed to figure him out, to find out how he managed to get himself into this terrible situation.

"Well, Mr. Cullen," I spoke smoothly, fighting to keep my voice steady as I smoothed out the papers in front of me unnecessarily, "It seems you have quite the case against you. People are talking, you know. People are very happy that they've finally got you, or so they say." I breathed that out with a bit of frustration, remembering very well the criticism I had gotten when news spread about my decision to take his case.

"Oh, I know," he murmured off-handedly, shrugging his shoulders as if it was of no matter. He looked truly unaffected, and for a moment, I bought right into his little lie. His eyes told me different, though. I saw that little flicker I saw in every single client I had taken, and the thought made me inwardly triumphant. Despite what he may be thinking, I knew better. There was more to this Edward than truly met the naked eye, and I longed to find what that was. "I guess it makes sense. I'm not a very nice man."

I resisted the urge to scoff at the comment, knowing that was either a very convincing lie or the complete truth and an understatement. I fought to keep my thoughts straight, clearing my throat easily and shuffling through the papers, looking down to distract myself. Now came the easiest part of all the meetings we would have, and the one that I dreaded the most.

I looked up until I had caught those gorgeous green eyes, my face suddenly serious. I knew he reacted to my mood, or at least I imagined it as he stiffened a bit where he sat. "Mr. Cullen, I have one question for you at the moment," I spoke simply, waiting for his response.

"Proceed."

"Did you or did you not murder Tanya Denali?"

There was a pause as I waited, folding my hands on the table in front of me, waiting anxiously for his answer.

_A man that beautiful couldn't possibly –_

"I did."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer, and therefore I do not own Twilight in any way, shape, or form! Unfortunately, of course.

A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews! :) I do appreciate the response, and thank you for expressing your interest! Yes, I did decide to continue posting. I have written past this chapter, mostly for myself than anything, so if you'd like me to continue posting, please review and give me your thoughts! Thanks a ton.

Hope you enjoy the chapter! It's a little short, but it does bring up a few questions...The next is longer, though, I promise.

Read on!

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His words hung in the air between us as I desperately attempted to make sense of them, but I couldn't make the connection fast enough. I was sure I was left there gaping as he watched me, calm and collected from the other side of the room, completely unfazed. There was a small smirk spreading onto the corners of his lips, as if he found this entire situation all too amusing, while I found nothing of the sort. It seemed impossible that a client could be so calm and cool when admitting a crime above all others, and it was something, quite honestly, I had never seen before. When I took a client, I was always working on the assumption that they were innocent. They pleaded with me to hear their side of the story, told me over and over that they were innocent of their crimes. How could this man, though, sit there and watch me as such when confessing to taking another's life?

This was the confirmation I had heard from everyone who had found themselves involved in the case, everyone I had spoken to thus far, as well as those completely uninvolved. I was not blind to the talk, and to be honest, I had listened very well to each and every argument. There was plenty of evidence building up though of course not all of it was released at the moment, the investigation still underway. It seemed concrete and set in stone that the prime suspect, Edward Anthony Cullen, was the one who had murdered the victim in question, Tanya Denali. I bit my lip as I considered this, for the first time beginning to wonder if those people had been right. The man in front of me chuckled quietly, turning away from me in his chair.

"Come now." I didn't like his tone. It was patronizing, as if he found me the unintelligent, stupid in some way. All I had done was make a move to help him when no one else would. I wondered, in that quick second of silence, if that made me stupid in its own way. That had to be possible. "You must have heard that from those that have talked, right? You must have put some thought into this before taking the case, right?" He didn't turn his head to look at me, his eyes on the stone walls. I noticed in that moment his fists had balled on his knees, his expression suddenly hard. In that moment, he was the client that I believed in.

"Of course I put thought into this case!" I shot back before I could consider my words, before I could bite my tongue. I let out a quiet sigh a moment later as he turned his head to smirk at me, obviously amused by my momentary slip. That hadn't been professional at all, however, and I knew that he was right to be amused, to some extent. "I put plenty of thought into this case before I took it, Mr. Cullen, do not take me for a fool." It took everything I could to take the bite out of my tone, but I wanted nothing more than to be frustrated with him. I had only been in this room for mere minutes, and already this man was driving me mad.

He laughed quietly as he turned back to me, his chair with him, and for that quick instant or so, my irritation faded. His laugh was rather enchanting, something I couldn't explain. It made him seem light-hearted, as if we were not really discussing his murder trial, but rather just in a friendly conversation. He smiled at me as such, as well, but there was something hiding behind that smile. There were clues there, a key that I did not have that could unlock the truth. I wanted desperately to be able to do so.

"I don't take you for a fool, trust me." His words sounded sincere enough, like the man I had spoken to very briefly on the phone as he requested a defense. He was honest in that moment, the calm reflection somehow making its way back to those haunting green eyes. I wasn't sure why I believed him, but somehow I knew that I did. There was not a single doubt in my mind. "I wanted you to take my case because you are very clever, the way you work these cases. I've heard of you before, make no mistake. I've seen you do what you do. You believe that these guilty clients are innocent, don't you?"

He was smirking at me, smug and relaxed, leaned back in his chair in a fashion that brought every ounce of irritation bubbling back to the surface. His tone aggravated me, his expression only adding, and I wished nothing more than to stomp from the room like some irate child. How dare he treat me like this when I had only wanted to help? How dare he question me when I was the one who should be questioning him?

"I don't believe that's any of your business how I work, Mr. Cullen. You have put your fate in my hands, have you not?" I was sure my words were clipped as I watched him from where I sat, trying to at least attempt politeness at this point. It was a lost cause, it seemed. "But yes, I do believe in my clients, very much so. If they are guilty, the truth comes out in the end. I get the verdict that my client deserves, one way or another. You cannot hide the truth for very long."

His smirk grew, and I found myself shrinking, backtracking like a nervous little girl speaking in front of a large audience for the first time. I wondered what I had said wrong, even though I knew it was irrational to do so. I knew that I should not be letting him take control of this entire situation, but part of me could not help it. He did not speak a word, and I found myself leaning across the table, my eyes narrowed. What made this man tick, that insistent part of my mind was asking. What made him the way he was? What made him different from all the others that had sat in this very room with me?

"Do you disagree?" I found myself asking quietly, trying to get any sort of insight to his thoughts. Part of me knew it could help me figure out this impossible case, one way or another. I had to understand my client to understand the case, the part of me still in control was explaining, trying to remind the rest of me.

"Well, yes," Edward spoke, bluntly and honestly. I found that I liked it more than those to beat around the bush, though not in the way he spoke now, condescendingly. He leaned back a bit in his chair, the picture of ease, a crooked smile on his lips. For a moment, just a moment that I lost my composure, I considered smacking it off. "I do disagree, actually. After all, who is to say those that got an acquittal were not guilty? Whose to say that you did not prove someone who really deserved their sentence guilty, in the end? There is no way of truly knowing, is there? They could be running free now, harming others…"

"I believe in my clients, Mr. Cullen," I cut him off before he could continue, shaking my head. Every single case that I had taken I had believed my client to be innocent, and if they were guilty, it all came out in the end. When my client got cleared of their charges, I always felt satisfied, as if I had done the right thing. This man's words, though, just in that quick moment, seemed enough to shake me. It drove me absolutely insane. How dare he?!

"Oh?" He turned away from me again, his jaw set tightly. "Do you believe in me, then?" He seemed to be waiting eagerly for my answer, like he was holding his breath. For a moment, I wondered which answer he was waiting for, completely dumbfounded.

_It's like he wants me to say no…_But that couldn't be, I reasoned with myself. No murder suspect wanted a defense lawyer who went into a case not believing in them, did they? They wanted someone who would go in fully prepared to prove them innocent! Then again, it wasn't like it hadn't happened before. I remembered briefly my old mentor's words, repeating in my head over and over.

"_Your job is not to believe in your clients, Swan. Your job is to get them an acquittal, at any and all costs. That is what a lawyer does."_ Jasper couldn't be right, though. I didn't want to believe his words. He had been doing what I was now for much longer than I was. He was one of the very best in the firm, but I didn't believe in his methods when he explained them to me. That couldn't be the way to go about this, and to this very day, I still do not believe him.

"Yes, Mr. Cullen," I breathed out quietly, finally looking him straight in the eyes. Paint me naïve, but there was just something about this man that made it impossible to believe he had committed murder. Every sign was screaming at me to back out while I still can, but I couldn't bring it in me to do it. I had to find a way around this, somehow. "I believe that you did not murder Tanya Denali."

"I just told you not ten minutes ago that I did," he snarled through his teeth, and I was sure my eyes widened. He looked… absolutely _livid. _As if he couldn't believe me, and didn't want to. As if he wanted me to think him guilty. I didn't want to believe that, though. That didn't add up. "Are you incompetent, or just a fool, Miss Swan?"

"Neither, Mr. Cullen," I found myself retorting despite myself, biting down on my lip as I tried to keep up with my own words. He watched me with … anxiety? Was it fear? Was it nervousness? Or was he just waiting for me to slip up and leave? Was he waiting for me to give up? I wouldn't.

_Of all the days to be stubborn, Bella, it had to be today, didn't it?_ That pessimistic side of me was yelling at me to give it up, but somehow, I knew I wouldn't budge. This was a case that I was going to take, one way or another. There was not a doubt in my mind any longer.

"Swan ---"

"Mr. Cullen." I spoke his name with authority, the kind I was just finding myself gaining back. I took a steadying breath before continuing, making sure to catch his confused green gaze in my own. "I have said it once and I will say it again; I do not believe that you have murdered the victim."

"And _I_ have told you that I --"

"Suspects often lie." I felt ridiculous pointing it out only moments later, wondering what my associates would think if they ever saw this tape recording. People were sure to be laughing at me if this was ever submitted as evidence, or anything of the sort. I was sure I would not be getting any cases after this.

"Yes, they lie about _not_ committing the crime. Don't you agree that makes tons more sense, Miss Swan?" His words pierced me, his glare holding me in place and not letting me go. His words were bitingly harsh, to the extent that I almost shuddered with them.

"I agree, yes. But I think…" I needed another breath, and I needed to look away, feeling very much the coward. I had never met someone before who had intimidated in such a way, and he was not even my definition of a criminal! "I think you are hiding something, Mr. Cullen. I intend to search until I find out."

I was surprised to find silence in that small room, and when it was broken, it was only a murmured profanity. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath, throwing me completely off guard. There was something about this man I was not understanding, and I only wished I could put all the bits and pieces together. There was no way I could find a whole with only the amount of knowledge I had at the moment.

"I wish you wouldn't," he told me, his voice suddenly quiet, his head down. His eyes were on the table in front of him, and suddenly, he was not calm at all. Suddenly, he was the broken man I had spoken to on the phone. The change instantly intrigued me.

"Why?" I found myself asking him, but I was interrupted by the officer making his way into the room, making a gesture that told me I was out of time. A different irritation found its way through my body, piercing me and filling me with anger. I had been so close… I was sure I was close to getting an answer, and now I would need to wait. I sighed as I gathered my papers, standing to my feet.

"I suppose you'll find that out on your own, Miss Swan," he spoke, making his way to his own feet as he let out a sigh, almost as if in resignation. "I assume you will be taking my case, then?"

"Yes, Mr. Cullen."

"Very well. I look forward to seeing you again, then."

I found myself even more confused by that piercing green gaze, longing to find out the secrets behind it. There had to be more to this story, and I'll be damned if I didn't figure it all out, piece by piece.

"Likewise."

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